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The Eccentropedia: The Most Unusual People Who Have Ever Lived
An A-Z of eccentrics! 250 true stories of the most original and outrageous people on earth, from bad poets to transsexual evolutionary theorists this encyclopedic guide covering ancient times to the present, includes reams of material never seen in book form before. Famous eccentrics like King Ludwig, Salvador DalA and Howard Hughes rub shoulders with a host of lesser-known, but equally colorful, characters in these -- mostly -- life-affirming stories. There are unsuspected parallels and connections throughout creating an alternative, off-kilter history of the world.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
528 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 14, 2015
My love for all of Chris Mikul’s work is pretty well established by now so I won’t discuss in depth why I think he is and always will be an author worth reading aside from just stating that his love for the odd in this world makes his work very topical for me and for this site. I can’t imagine anyone will be surprised to learn that I think this is great book. Anyone with a love for strange ideas or eccentrics will need to add this book to their collection. The book discusses some usual suspects in the weirdo game, like Helena Blavatsky, Charles Fort, Aleister Crowley and Michael Jackson, but for every person whose name comes up all the time in compendiums devoted to eccentrics, there were ten more I had never heard of before.
This is one of my shorter discussions but to discuss it too much would ruin the nature of the book. Encyclopedias don’t lend themselves well to my typical in-depth discussions. This encyclopedia especially doesn’t, given its substantial length (over 500 pages) and 266 entries that cover almost all forms of human perversity, insanity, determination and genius. This book also has some excellent illustrations by Glenn Smith. While I completed this book in two sittings, this is a book that can be read in fits and starts, a great book to read when you suspect you may face interruptions, like waiting in line at the DMV. Mikul, while he can write fiction well, uses a style in this book that is a mix of journalism with clear affection for the subject matter, ensuring the book is readable and engrossing. I loved this book and highly recommend it!
You can read my entire discussion here.
This is one of my shorter discussions but to discuss it too much would ruin the nature of the book. Encyclopedias don’t lend themselves well to my typical in-depth discussions. This encyclopedia especially doesn’t, given its substantial length (over 500 pages) and 266 entries that cover almost all forms of human perversity, insanity, determination and genius. This book also has some excellent illustrations by Glenn Smith. While I completed this book in two sittings, this is a book that can be read in fits and starts, a great book to read when you suspect you may face interruptions, like waiting in line at the DMV. Mikul, while he can write fiction well, uses a style in this book that is a mix of journalism with clear affection for the subject matter, ensuring the book is readable and engrossing. I loved this book and highly recommend it!
You can read my entire discussion here.
February 24, 2013
A loo book, and jolly fit for purpose.
November 22, 2015
A large and enthralling volume, which gives mini biographies of a large number of the oddest people in the world. Eccentrics, oddballs, weirdoes, they're all here, but so are artists, visionaries, anyone who thinks outside the box or is outside the ordinary. Every one a rare gem!
I love eccentrics, people who aren't afraid to follow their own vision and to hell with anyone else, flipping the finger at conformity.
I have discovered a large number of books I want to read, music I want to listen to and art I want to view by reading this fascinating book. Every entry is a breath of fresh air.
The only fault with the book is that a little further proof-reading might have been nice. There are a few glaring errors, mostly with dates or other figures (for example, in one place 20 feet is equated with 60 metres, when the reverse is actually the case). A minor thing, and once spotted, a little common sense usually discerns what the correct entry was supposed to be, but a little disappointing.
I love eccentrics, people who aren't afraid to follow their own vision and to hell with anyone else, flipping the finger at conformity.
I have discovered a large number of books I want to read, music I want to listen to and art I want to view by reading this fascinating book. Every entry is a breath of fresh air.
The only fault with the book is that a little further proof-reading might have been nice. There are a few glaring errors, mostly with dates or other figures (for example, in one place 20 feet is equated with 60 metres, when the reverse is actually the case). A minor thing, and once spotted, a little common sense usually discerns what the correct entry was supposed to be, but a little disappointing.
April 19, 2020
Amazing book that will shake your mind out of the dull everyday mind frame forced on us by the stupid world we all share.
June 27, 2023
Most all my life, I've been interested in the tales and biographies of what some would call crackpots, visionaries, weirdos, obsessives, cranks, and nuts of all types. Maybe because I wanted to rate myself on some kind of scale from "normal" to "way abnormal". So Chris Mikul's book was like a gift from the heavens for me. He has picked a great pantheon of 266 wizards and cranks from UFO contactee George Adamski to perennial candidate for President of Mexico Nicolás Zúñiga y Miranda. While I thought was familiar with a lot of famous oddballs, I've already got a long list of previously unheard of characters to research and read about more. To just pick one, the indescribable Stanislav Szukalski.
One comment I want to make is about Mikul's style and approach to his subjects. He has a remarkable gift of treating his subjects with compassion, non-judgmentalism and good humor. The vast majority of the 266 persons profiled were ultimately harmless or at least not downright evil. In many cases, persons who lived in the cities and towns where the crackpots operated tended to at least tolerate them, and often grew to appreciate, protect and help them, if not finally even love them. As far as I can recall, Mikul never uses the pejorative terms I have used in my review here, but usually sticks with "eccentric", which is a word that I think to most of us does not have a strong negative connotation. I highly recommend this book, not only for its huge entertainment value, but also for its extremely subtle message of tolerance and acceptance of human differences.
One comment I want to make is about Mikul's style and approach to his subjects. He has a remarkable gift of treating his subjects with compassion, non-judgmentalism and good humor. The vast majority of the 266 persons profiled were ultimately harmless or at least not downright evil. In many cases, persons who lived in the cities and towns where the crackpots operated tended to at least tolerate them, and often grew to appreciate, protect and help them, if not finally even love them. As far as I can recall, Mikul never uses the pejorative terms I have used in my review here, but usually sticks with "eccentric", which is a word that I think to most of us does not have a strong negative connotation. I highly recommend this book, not only for its huge entertainment value, but also for its extremely subtle message of tolerance and acceptance of human differences.
January 18, 2025
This we’ll-organized compendium of eccentric individuals was informative and engaging. The author’s extensive research was evident in both the book’s heft and its content. I was fascinated by the (possible?) correlation between historical time periods and the abundance (or lack thereof) of eccentrics living their best lives. While most were comfortably harmless, I ultimately had to disagree with the author in his assessment that ALL eccentrics are harmless. Some of those in this volume absolutely harmed and damaged the lives of those around them. And, while I’ll probably never be wealthy enough to be eccentric, I certainly enjoyed reading about many who were. Recommended!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews